Police called to Kittery race presentation

Karen Dandurant news@seacoastonline.com @kdandurant

Sunday

Jan 28, 2018 at 9:41 PMJan 29, 2018 at 6:34 AM

KITTERY, Maine - During a discussion about cross racial conversations Sunday at Traip Academy, a member of the audience unexpectedly caused a few tense moments, resulting in a police officer being called in as a precaution.

The event remained peaceful, after a minor verbal altercation.

Tell Me the Truth – Exploring Cross-Racial Conversations was hosted by Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Southern Maine/Seacoast and featured a dialogue between two women on the forefront of Racial Justice, Shay Stewart-Bouley from the blog Black Girl in Maine and Debby Irving, author of “Waking Up White.”

As part of their presentation, Irving made a statement that would prove almost prophetic. She said that in doing the talks, they had to be prepared for awkward situations, and be prepared to deal with them.

When the pair opened the room up for questions, they received many comments praising them for the work they are doing to help bring understanding to the issue. Then York resident Alex Jannetti got up to speak.

"Do you support black pride," asked Jannetti. "How about Asian pride. How about white pride?"

One of the event volunteers tried to take the microphone back from Janetti but Stewart-Bouley asked to let him speak, to make his point.

"I am not ashamed to be white," said Irving. "I am also proud to be helping bring this understanding of people of color."

Janetti refused to give up the mike, prompting a Traip Academy student to offer her viewpoint.

"I am proud to be black," said Beti Stevens, a member of the school's civil rights committee, to Jannetti. "I have a friend who will say she is proud to be white. I ask her what she thinks it means to be white, what it means for me to be black. I say she should be proud to be Bella."

Jannetti said it seems to him that white people are being picked on as being the problem.

"For only white people to be held responsible is a difficult concept for me to accept," said Jannetti. "There was a time when Irish and Italians were persecuted in this country. Heard of NINA (No Irish need apply) I am just my Italian/Sicilian self. I don't consider myself white. I think the reason those groups succeeded is that they lifted themselves up. Why can't black people do the same?"

"I'm not going to lie," said Stewart-Bouley. "This conversation is making me uncomfortable. Your questions may be innocent, but my husband is sitting outside. He comes because there times when when I am harassed or stalked. I think we need to wrap this up."

Jannetti stayed until the end of the presentation. Later he said he grew up in Maine, in the homogeneous communities and sees how they function.

"I did not want this talk to be an echo chamber, with everyone patting each other on the back," said Jannetti. "I wanted to challenge their statements."

Stevens said she engaged Jannetti because she wanted to see if he were willing to listen.

"We need to recognize all viewpoints," said Stevens. "He had some good points about why we come together. We need to have the conversations."

During the event, Stewart-Bouley and Irving literally held a conversation between themselves, with the intent of showing common misconceptions between white people and people of color, while offering insight into how the conversations could go better toward bringing understanding, even among the most well-meaning of people. The two are fast friends now, but talked about their first meetings and their efforts to feel each other out to arrive at common ground, and a meaningful friendship between a black woman from a working-class family, and a white woman of upper-middle-class privilege.

"Our mission is to move toward a multiracial movement that brings about racial justice," said Irving. "I was raised on the philosophies of don't rock the boat, don't discuss religion, politics or race in public. We need to talk about all these things or we are part of the problem."

For her part, Stewart-Bouley, who moved to essentially all-white Maine from Chicago, said black people have talked about race their whole lives, because it shapes their life.

"My earliest memories are about race," said Stewart-Bouley. "I think that things happened because I am black. In Maine, I could go days without ever seeing another person of color."

Irving began by asking the audience if the term white supremacist makes them uncomfortable. Most of the crowd agreed that it does.

"We need that," said Irving. "When I say that; I am not talking about the KKK. I am talking about a philosophy this country is built on, that not all people are the same, that we are biologically different. The most valuable people in this country are white, heterosexual, Anglo-Saxon men, and the thought was this group should be in charge. That's what we need to work to overcome."

Irving said she acknowledges that it is nice to be white sometimes, like when her children can go where they want without conflict. On the other hand, Stewart-Bouley talked about being terrified when her son got his license and a car, real fear for his life and safety.

Irving and Stewart-Bouley are partners in the presentations, but even that, really seeing each other as partners took time.

"The first presentation like this we did, Debby got paid," said Stewart-Bouley. "I did not. We did the same gig. The people of Black Lives Matter do not get paid for what they do."

After the event, Jannetti was still outside, under the watchful eyes of a Kittery police officer. Stewart-Bouley left by a rear door, picked up in a car.

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